Summary

Daylight Saving Time Spring 2026 in the USA is March 8, 2026. Adjusting to changes in our social clocks can be difficult. Prepare yourself by starting today to go to bed 15 minutes earlier and awakening tomorrow morning 15 minutes earlier than you did today. We can adjust. Take some steps to promote your wellbeing. Remember that wellbeing is a process not an outcome.

Wellbeing and Daylight Saving Time: Spring 2026

In many parts of the USA, March 8, 2026, is the date for Daylight Saving Time (DST). The change in time can affect our mental health Let’s explore Daylight Saving Time and Wellbeing.

Recall that not every country observes DST and, if they do, it does not necessarily fall on the same date as in the USA.

Please consult the website Timeanddate for additional information:

https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/usa

Why Changing the Time Affects Us

Springing forward and falling back affect us because the clock is a socially constructed conceptualization of time. The clock on the table serves a purpose: it allows me to coordinate with you on certain activities in which we participate. But, the clock which we have on our cellphones, on our computers, in our cars, and in the town center is a fabrication of human beings.

There are other clocks which guide our physiological functions. Sunrise and sunset impact our physiology. The amount of daylight and the amount of darkness affect our physiology. In our bodies, there are rhythmic activities which follow a 24-hour period, others which follow a monthly timeframe, some which follow other timeframes. Some cycles do not respond to a change in light and darkness. These include the release of certain hormones and enzymes, the regulation of body temperature, and our blood pressure and heart rate.

When our socially constructed clock changes, springs forward or falls back, our body needs to adjust and it may not be prepared to do so. That’s why preparation is so important to allow our bodies to try to make the necessary adjustments.

Preparing for Springing Forward: Wellbeing and DST

The time of day change inherent to DST can have an effect on affective symptoms (mood). DST may affect our sleep routine and our meal routine, both of which can then impact our mood.

In order for us to adapt to the loss of one hour for one day (March 8, 2026) and the subsequent change in what the hours on the clock represent (ie, 7am is actually the former 6am), I recommend that we adjust our bedtime and awake time gradually prior to March 8, 2026.

For some people, the adjustment may be easy. For others, losing one hour and trying to adjust on the following days to awaken at what would actually be an hour earlier can be disruptive to mood and anxiety.

And, let’s not forget that a subset of people experience depression starting in the Spring or the Summer.

You’ve heard of the winter blues but what about summer depression?

https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/summer-depression

This is another reason to take care and prepare for DST.

How to Adjust Your Daily Routine

There are a number of strategies we can employ to adjust to DST.

Sleep Routine

Now is the time to change your bedtime habits, as much as your lifestyle will allow.

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier.
Get up 15 minutes earlier.
Maintain the adjustment for a few days and then subtract another 15 minutes to bedtime and awakening time (go to bed 15 minutes earlier, get up 15 minutes earlier).

In two weeks, if you make the change every seven days, you will have altered both your wake time and sleep time by 30 minutes.

And, you said it, I should have suggested starting to make these changes two weeks ago.

Daily Routines and DST

Daily routines are impacted by DST.

Daily routines are not only comprised of the time we awaken and the time we go to bed.

Some daytime activities cannot be adjusted because they are tied to a system outside of our control: these activities will be adjusted by the change in social clocks. These activities include when we need to start work; when our children need to be at school; when our yoga class is held; when the gym is open; when the grocery store opens and closes; etc. There is a ripple effect because of other activities which take place before or after our daily activities of dinner/supper; breakfast; lunch; extracurricular activities for the children; bath time; meetings outside of work.

Maybe, the best we can do is to adjust our sleep and wake schedules. If we do, I think we will be a little bit ahead of the time change!

Embrace DST 2026 for Wellbeing

Be proactive. Make choices to safeguard and promote your wellbeing.

Remember to:

Consume a balanced diet.
Rest enough.
Reach out to friends.
Smile and greet your neighbours.
Drink alcohol sparingly.
Avoid cannabis which can interfere with the efficacy of your prescribed medications and can increase the side effects of your prescribed medications.
Express gratitude to those who enrich your life.
Be compassionate to strangers and friends alike.
Limit screen time.

Embrace the benefits of random acts of kindness to illuminate the goodness of humanity.

Guard yourself from disparaging the people who hold views opposing yours and/or who espouse a lifestyle different from yours. They are doing the best they can, just as you are. Maybe a little compassion is warranted.

Here’s an excerpt from one of my favourite inspirational works of prose, “Desiderata”:

“Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.”

https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html

Take-aways: Daylight Savings and Wellbeing Spring 2026

Surround yourself in a cloak of cultural events, including the arts, to expand your mind and your heart.

Consider that wellbeing is a process not an outcome.

Explore music as you foster your mental wellbeing at this time, for our collective wellbeing, and to boost our social capital by promoting belonging and social connectedness in our communities:

Whitney Houston: ‘One Moment in Time’

Take care. Be safe. Be kind.

Please give generously to your local food pantries. Your neighbours will thank you.

Selected References:

CAMH (2026). You’ve heard of the winter blues but what about summer depression? CAMH News & Stories. Accessed online on February 24, 2026, at https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/summer-depression

Disclaimer: The content of this post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your healthcare professional team.

If you are having thoughts to hurt yourself or someone else, please CALL 9-1-1; CALL 9-8-8; OR Go to the nearest emergency room.

Nota Bene:

USA Government websites are being purged by the current Trump Administration to align the website content with the regime’s political agenda. Please note that any government website cited in this and other posts on this website may no longer contain evidence based or historically correct information. Thus, I am trying to avoid including any references or resources which derive from a USA government website. This is not bias; I take this action in an effort to maintain a factually sound content in my posts.